Introduction

Welcome to the world of MaKey MaKey! A world where every day objects are much more than what they appear. Bananas are more than just a curvy fruit - they’re keys to a virtual piano. Play-dough isn’t just a tasty child’s toy - it’s the controlling force behind Pacman’s up/down/left/right. And your simple pencil drawings are a portal to Portal.

Be prepared to look at every day objects in a whole new light. Be stoked! The world is your construction kit.

Covered in This Tutorial

This tutorial’s purpose is to help get you up and running with the MaKey MaKey – everything from what the board is, to installing it, to using it. Sections are split into pages, covering the following topics:

Suggested Reading

What is a Circuit? – To create a MaKey MaKey “key”, a circuit must be created so current can flow.

Voltage, Current, Resistance and Ohm’s Law – Learn about the three fundamental concepts behind electricity, and how they’re related by Ohm’s law. The MaKey MaKey works by bending our idea of resistive material.

In 2003, CU student Nate Seidle fried a power supply in his dorm room and, in lieu of a way to order easy replacements, decided to start his own company. Since then, SparkFun has been committed to sustainably helping our world achieve electronics literacy from our headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.

No matter your vision, SparkFun's products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. In addition to over 2,000 open source components and widgets, SparkFun offers curriculum, training and online tutorials designed to help demystify the wonderful world of embedded electronics. We're here to help you start something.